Apparatus for cleaning metal



March 5, 1957 J. A. FALER 2,783,892

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING METAL Filed March 19, 1956 I NV EN TOR.

JOHN A. FALER F E 6- 3 BY ATTORNEYS 2,783,892 -Petentedt- Mar. 5, al.957

appa p sa n hthe ollowi g e c nti h..-o which the attaeheddrawings, form apart.

Referring to the drawings in which: 2,783,892 Fig. 1; is.a top view of a saltbath pot formed in accord- APPARATUS FOR CLEANING: METAL John A, FaiergQetroit, -Mich., assignorto Kolene Corphrati ni letwitrMis-h- Application March '19, 19.56, .SerialNo. 572,'449 .Cla m. 210- Th -ih e t sh r ate t a .a i am u fo .cl ani meta shdm t hsh i hls i to, aha pa a h f n emo t e slh esn ta .axhhlt nsa ha m ta s eahihad t s hh Jh Pas few years. th .metathnam ta t tih .ihdhsh s .h vs be u t wus m lte sa tba h :to h

.Ph ms .9 ..9 ahi s s a e a Qth nssrfacei .nhi tiesq a fih l it llfquh. stalPrQssss -san .il nhatht f om .meta11i .p ..d i .sah .tab ica eh rat ohs- .Iheee 31 sa tshmn si ut l ze refo a i vhriqh p i -ar patent ..S.1.111, a o examp e ats 2.4 8,6 6 1 of Janua y 1 1 -2.468.096o tAPI 119 E h heh h .mQ Q sa t athsse ea ih appara use h s p e int t molt s bath th who i phrh ssr msrs z rom th me al.tormaslud ewith nth ldinn h tahh .Qh 9 th p qblsms n u i iz n hism lts sa ha h rqcess is that of removing the sludge, while e th sea t m v din th ,nece sityp ew h d wn the salt bath or of interrupting the operation, ofi theb ath for anyperiod of time.

A e hi .Q th inten ion to .pmyid th y .d thrm with a cham e thr u whi hah m1- sh salt fr m th .mq ts s l hat -i na sss The shamis s bstan a q isss h th t eslhd li in an ained Wi th a hath .z ei tl ih o'is hss ar' h fi y ff r y rni hshh ndi cidhsl jnsmeve for t P s of slssh ou h sl d e deposited therein. a

l a u the 7 ab ec v0 th inventio i to .Prqvid emo b s u et h he tays whet tq tra' is pmoved s sl h an herein t i ..t in t all Pssifishsd to sstshthehmstamshhtht.dei h iteds udsc, in On t Pertishla t ,rsm e hth e i i g t ys ar .tho ed jiht msiho .tos cessixel he p i hi h i ihhh .sats ihetherhhs ..am hn o sludge.

Still l h :9 ?j ;9 :ih ihteh iqnistm a series of trays movable inalineso that one tray may be removed after it becomes filled with sludge, and the remaining traysmaybe advanced one-posit-iion; and where in aelean traymaybesubstituted attire-end of the l ipepf trays, all .of this .being accomplished without havingtc shut down the molten salt bath operation, and without losing any large amount of heat.

Yet an additional object of this invention is to provide a means for removing a sludge catching tray, which means consists of a combined cover and rail support means wherein the tray is removed by one simple and quick operation to thereby avoid any large amount of heat loss from the molten salt bath tank.

These and other objects of my invention will become :sehematicallyhin '1, .is shown-as com generally designated as ;.10., which is divided-into;

ing ehamber .IZY-Whereths sh ancewith this invention and-.shown with the,cove r-removed.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional viewttaken online;2, 2 ,of

.Fig. 1, and illustrates. the potwith the cover; in -po,si,tion.

- means. and the removable tray suspended therefrom.

In the operation of.a molten saltibath-itanlg -itis, necessary to heat the molten, salt andntor retain .it; .its heated condition to providetanyarea which is free to receive metal partstobecleaned, andatthe-sametime providea means -fo eh1 v; h lu whiq -.-d p .s te rr-om Emfilitl. TOta'C-OQ DPHSII. thtise ignction h idevitceuw f m .1. iq T s ses o at h .w ..zo 511M111 heating ehamberli. andthe sluqg r mv hCha b nh s s i F ,L-theiz sne 1, yelen a edere i'ql l arshapedlank. .The. ;hea i. 1g.eh m e -.-.12 is f rmed alongside the pot ,and includes g -heat-ing c oils 16- whose i hnc h-i h he th n l en salt-and a ntainith a ,at. some predeterminedtemperature. ,Thesecoils may-j be op ra ed by s re e t .lha n Th nstruction.Qflth soils te m t -211E 11 y. m ny ot .suitableheattng h thi nv ht o andather f s, .they areha t illu rate an .deserih b eadly- A With lhi l e ting chamber re'pe iti ne t rmlmh o a tator wh cht te sche ati al y sh ini Fi-g- 1. These agitators may consist pf propellers ons e- .ends

. tofidriven shafts, and-maybedriven: by any; suitable motor means. Thesfunction ofithese agitatorswill lee-described ,later.

The heating chamber opens into the twork; zone ;1;1 of

.thepo r y.-mean 10 9p 1 me in wvallvwhi h sep rate :thesham e tt m.Ih -wQ b qn At. one. end. -th po .a du i ;:pr vide -a -z nen into-th he -.chamhe -r h oug an fice. and open into .th l dg hamber. 1 through vaseco or fiqeszfi orm th ppos t ndict thet uc (se R el).

T slud chamb s provid d ith 1 reachin :24 at the, end opposite to..wl1ic h .i t v is .connected '10 the ductil. .Thhs aca l ese n hat i oper t on, salt ,isgi ilfc llalfid from the work zone through; the openings i19;i nt0 th: heat- -m intainedgatztemperature by the heating coil 16. The agitators 17 withdheir propeller hlaglesJB; agitate thel-salt to evenlyheatz-thematerial, a d ;at;the ame tirne -;t0,; dlli6t{th8, salt :which is heated-throu ;Qtifie;.22,;thr0ugh the duct-:Z-lwthen through-theorific M3, and intoz-thesludge chamber lii. .Thegnolten saltepassingrthrough the sludge chamben'exits through t he.opening t24ibaok2 into the=workvzone All during thisitime; theilevel .of: the salt bath --is maintained as roughly designated at 25. V

The sludge chamber -;is .a .relatively. quiescent; -area through-avhieh ;the :Siilt passes :at .a relatively slow -rateso :tl'iabsludge'tendsto settleout to-the floorzof t-his' ham-b'er.

21.11 ...0rder :10 .catch this :slud-ge, Ja pluralitybf trays "30 are provided. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the trays are aligned in an end to end relationship with each other, and are located at the bottom of the sludge chamber 13.

These trays are supported within the sludge chamber by means of rails 31 at the top of the chamber and cooperating wheels 33 on the rails, which wheels are formed in pairs connected by cross-bars 32.

The trays themselves are suspended by means of rods 34 from the cross bars 32. Therefore, the trays may be rolled along the rails and moved for purposes to be later described.

The sludge chamber is provided with covers which are generally designated as 35', which covers are provided with removable end sections 36and 37. .The .cover section 36 is positioned above the tray which is located at the entrance point or the duct connection point of the sludge chamber. This cover is formedintegral with, or mechanically connected to, the rail section of this area, and this rail section 38 is formed separately from the remaining rail portion.

The heating chamber is provided with a cover, as is the work zone chamber, and openings may be provided to accommodate the agitators 17 and to permit the dipping of work pieces into the work zone. The function of all these covers is to prevent heat from escaping from the pot and to thereby reduce the expense of heating the salt, and to keep the salt in its molten condition.

In operation, salt may be added in its non-molten state to the heating chamber as required to maintain the level of the chamber, and in addition, salt enters into this chamber from the work zone through the openings 19 as previously described. Thesalt, which is then agitated for even heating and is directed through the duct 21, passes over the first tray 30 near the duct, and at this point deposits a great deal of the sludge contained therein. The salt continues through the chamber and deposits more and more sludge in each of the trays, but in lesser amounts as the trays are further spaced from the entry point.

When the first tray 30 has become sufiiciently loaded with sludge, the cover 36 is lifted upward by means of a crane or the like to thereby remove the attached rail 38 and the trays supported by this rail. The tray is then slid offthe rail for cleaning. Once the tray is removed from the rail the cover is again replaced, and this replacement takes place very quickly so that a minimum amount of heat is lost and a minimum amount of time is lost with the cover out of position.

Thereafter the end cover 37 is lifted, the remaining trays 30 are advanced one position so that the second tray now becomes the first tray, and a clean tray is inserted in the last position.

In order to hold the trays in tight alignment with each other, and to facilitate moving from one position to the next in advancing them, links 40 join the rollers and the cross bars of each tray. These links may be in any form, such as a heavy piece of metal hooked to each cross bar, or any other sort of mechanical linkage. It is only important that whatever linkage is selected functions to keep the trays together and to join the trays so that in moving them along, one tray may be moved, and all the others will follow in the same motion. At the same time, the link must be disengageable when the tray is lifted upwardly.

As can be seen, the trays are successively advanced and, as they get into the end position, they become full of sludge and are removed, and are thereby replaced with a clean tray at the opposite end. This system results in expeditious removal of the trays, and does not require the shutting down of the salt bath and results in a saving of heat because of the speed at which the trays may be removed and replaced.

The clean tray that is inserted into the sludge chamber may be the same one that was originally removed, and which is quickly cleaned, or in the alternative, may be an extra tray. Thereby, the device may be operated with to be inserted into the end position when the sludge loaded tray is removed.

The configuration of the support rails and the means for connecting the trays to the support rails may be varied within the mechanical limitations required to support the weight of the tray. It is only important that the trays be movable and may be advanced one by one from one end of the feeding chamber to the opposite end, and then be removed when the tray is full of sludge.

This invention may be further developed within the scope of the following attached claims. Accordingly, it is desired that the foregoing description be read as being merely illustrative of an operative embodiment of this device, and not in a strictly limiting sense.

Having fully described at least one operative embodiment of this invention, the following is now claimed:

1. An apparatus for cleaning metals by a molten salt bath comprising an elongated pot having a work zone wherein metals to be cleaned are dipped; a sludge chamber formed along one side and communicating into the pot and means to cause molten salt in the pot to pass through the length of the chamber for removal of sludge; a row of sludge trays positioned within the chamber in end to end alignment and suspended from a rail secured at the top and extending the length of the chamber, said trays being movable along the length of the rail; a cover covering the top of the chamber and having a removable section at each end of the chamber, the tray at one end of the chamber being removable for cleaning and being insertable, after cleaning, into the opposite end by advancing the remaining trays in the chamber to fill the space left by the removed tray, the rail section upon which the removable tray is suspended being formed as a separate section from the remainder of the rail and the cover section being connected to this rail section, whereby removal of the cover section removes the rail section and its suspended removable tray.

2. An apparatus for cleaning metals by a molten salt bath comprising a pot having a work zone wherein metals to be cleaned are dipped and an elongated sludge chamber closed at its top by a cover, means for passing the molten salt into one end of the chamber and out the other whereby sludge settles out of the salt and drops to the bottom of the chamber, a plurality of sludge trays positioned at the bottom of the chamber in end to end alignment with one another to catch the settled sludge, a rail atthe top of the chamber and extending the length of the chamber, means for movably suspending each tray from the rail and for movement along the length of the rail, said cover having removable sections at each end of the chamber, the tray at the salt entrance end of the chamher being removable for cleaning, and the remaining trays being movable along the rail to fill the space of the removed tray, whereby a clean tray may be inserted into the chamber at the opposite, salt exit, end, the rail section from which the removable tray is suspended being formed separate from the remaining part of the rail and being connected to the removable cover section, so that removal of the cover simultaneously removes the removable tray.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,050,634 Stegemann Aug. 11. 1936 2,139,096 Piquerez Dec. 6, 1938 2,682,627 Huff Feb. 17, 1953 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING METALS BY A MOLTEN SALT BATH COMPRISING AN ELONGATED POT HAVING A WORK ZONE WHEREIN METALS TO BE CLEANED ARE DIPPED; A SLUDGE CHAMBER FORMED ALONG ONE SIDE AND COMMUNICATING INTO THE POT AND MEANS TO CAUSE MOLTEN SALT IN THE POT TO PASS THROUGH THE LENGTH OF THE CHAMBER FOR REMOVAL OF SLUDGE; A ROW OF SLUDGE TRAYS POSITIONED WITHIN THE CHAMBER IN END TO END ALIGNMENT AND SUSPENDED FROM A RAIL SECURED AT THE TOP AND EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF THE CHAMBER, SAID TRAYS BEING MOVABLE ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE RAIL; A COVER COVERING THE TOP FO THE CHAMBER AND HVING A REMOVABLE SECTION AT EACH END OF THE CHAMBER, THE TRAY AT ONE END OF THE CHAMBER BEING REMOVABLE FOR CLEANING AND BEING INSERTABLE, AFTER CLEANING, INTO THE OPPOSTIE END BY ADVANCING THE REMAINING TRAYS IN THE CHAMBER TO FILL THE SPACE LEFT BY THE REMOVED TRAY, THE RAIL SECTION UPON WHICH THE REMOVABLE TRAY IS SUSPENDED BEING FORMED AS A SEPARATE SECTION FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE RAIL AND THE COVER SECTION BEING CONNECTED TO THIS RAIL SECTION, WHEREBY REMOVAL OF THE COVER SECTION REMOVES THE RAIL SECTION AND ITS SUSPENDED REMOVABLE TRAY. 